Man Dies After Being Hit by Roller Coaster at Cedar Point
On Thursday evening a man died after he was struck by a roller coaster at Cedar Point. After riding the Raptor, James Young, jumped over a fence to retrieve his cell phone. Here are details from the park and police, via CNN: Young, a 45-year-old special-education teacher, had been at the park with friends when he hopped on the Raptor around 5 p.m., Sandusky Assistant Police Chief Phil Frost told r...[Read More]
TPS Report – The Smiler Accident, The Bat, & More News
Theme Park News Update – Late October/Early November I’ve been away from the blog for quite some time. So, I thought that I’d share some of the biggest news stories of the past couple of weeks. In a good old TPS Report (TPS = Theme Park Syndicate), here’s what’s been happening in the theme park world: Accident on The Smiler: Riders Hit By Debris (Guide Wheels) In what...[Read More]
Riders Stuck on Rip Ride Rockit
Earlier this week, 12 riders were stuck on Universal Studio’s Rip Ride Rockit. The train had stopped near the top of the ride’s 90-degree vertical lift some 150 feet in the air. Firefighters rescued the riders nearly 3 hours after the incident began. Here’s a news story including the 911 call:video platformvideo managementvideo solutionsvideo player There are no details on the ac...[Read More]
After Texas Giant Accident, Amusement Park Regulations Questioned
There’s been a lot of discussion about the horrible accident that occurred last Friday when a woman fell from the Texas Giant and died. Many have been surprised that there will be no state or federal oversight during the investigation into the accident. States differ in how they regulate amusement ride safety. In Texas, it’ll be up to Six Flags to conduct their own investigation now th...[Read More]
Woman Dies After Accident on New Texas Giant
Six Flags Over Texas was the site of a tragedy today when a woman died while riding the New Texas Giant. The park hasn’t released details about the accident or how the woman died, but they did release a statement: “We are deeply saddened to share that earlier this evening an adult woman died in the park while on the Texas Giant,” wrote Sharon Parker, communications manager for Si...[Read More]
Have You Ever Been Hit By Something on a Roller Coaster?
This might sound like a strange edition of Coaster Questions, but after some comments I read about evening rides on Millennium Force, it’s not as weird as you may think. Leave it to the Pros & Those with Permission I’m a long-standing objector of sneaking cameras on roller coasters. Other than the fact that there already plenty of other good coaster videos out there, you can creat...[Read More]
Bird Hits Boy While Riding Kingda Ka Roller Coaster
On Thursday, a bird hit a boy that was riding Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure. The 456 foot tall ride is currently the tallest in the World. It begins with a blistering launch of 0 to 128 mph in only 3.5 seconds. While the roller coaster, dubbed a strata coaster, is incredibly tall, the boy was struck by the bird when the train was closer to the ground. Right away, I thought of a somewhat s...[Read More]
Have You Ever Been Stuck on a Roller Coaster?
If you’ve ridden roller coasters quite a bit, then at one time or another you’ve likely found your ride suddenly put on pause. I know that I have. From an incident almost ten years ago on Predator’s peak to just this past weekend on Great America’s Viper, getting stuck is not unusual. In my experience, a ride op has always trekked out to my location to inform me and the oth...[Read More]
Father & Son Stuck in Roller Coaster Loop
Riders Stuck in Roller Coaster Loop at Zibo Yudaihu Lake Zoology Garden Yesterday, ScreamScape reported on a story of an unusual roller coaster accident in China. Earlier this week, a father and a son were stuck in the vertical loop of a shuttle loop coaster some 15 meters (50 feet) above the ground. The usual rescue efforts were scrapped after fire fighters had trouble setting up their equipment ...[Read More]
Featured Photo #28 – Invertigos A No-Go
Six Flags America’s Two Face was one of the roller coasters that Six Flags added to Adventure World when it bought the park. Along with launch coaster Joker’s Jinx, hyper coaster Superman: Ride of Steel and flying coaster Batwing, the park’s lineup of modern thrill rides boomed in only a few years. Two Face had a run of accidents before it was removed in 2008 and I’m baffl...[Read More]
Riders Stuck on California Screamin’ at Disney’s California Adventure
Friday night riders were stuck on California Screamin’ at Disney’s California Adventure. According to this tweet from Windows to the Magic: BREAKING NEWS: Train stops on Ca Screamin’ at DCA. Guests stuck after the loop. ANAHEIM FD has been dispatched! @wttm (Window to the Magic) UPDATE – The Orange County Register has reported that the incident was caused by a backpack that...[Read More]
Man Dies on Darien Lake’s Ride of Steel Roller Coaster
There was sad news out of the Buffalo, New York area yesterday as an Iraq war veteran died while riding Darien Lake’s Ride of Steel roller coaster. Apparently, the man, Sgt. James Hackemer, was a double amputee as he lost both legs in a roadside bombing in Iraq. Ride of Steel (formerly Superman – Ride of Steel) is nearly identical to Six Flags America’s Superman – Ride of S...[Read More]